The present invention relates to an image-receiving sheet for electrophotography, which is capable of providing an image excellent in gloss and which has an excellent offset resistance to fixing at a high temperature. The present invention also relates to a process for producing an image-receiving sheet for electrophotography having the above-described characteristic properties and capable of being easily produced.
An electrophotographic method is employed for output devices of copying machines and personal computers, because in this method, dry treatment is employed, the printing speed is high and general papers (plain papers and woodfree papers) are usable.
When image information such as a face or scenery is to be output as a photograph on an image-receiving sheet for the electrophotography, a special purpose photographic paper is necessitated, because the general papers are of poor quality particularly in gloss. For improving the gloss, an image-receiving sheet for electrophotography, which comprises (1) a support and (2) a toner image-receiving layer containing a thermoplastic resin formed on the support were proposed in J. P. KOKAI Nos. Hei 4-212168 and Hei 8-211645.
Further, images of a high quality have been demanded recently. For meeting this demand, it is required to perform fixing at a higher temperature under a higher pressure than those in the prior art. The investigations have been made for developing the materials satisfying these requirements.
J. P. KOKAI No. 2000-112166 discloses an electrophotographic material for the transfer, which has a high heat resistance and which is free from the contraction deformation at a high temperature as well as sticking during a fixing step.
However, this technique has problems in that the effect of preventing the sticking is not yet satisfactory and in that the offset easily occurs in the fixing step in which the temperature and pressure are high.